The soil knowledge library (KLIB) – a structured literature database on soil process research

Abstract. In this technical note, we introduce a web-based application, the soil knowledge library (KLIB), for the compilation and classification of scientific publications on soil process research according to the specific site conditions and experimental boundary conditions. The tool was developed based on the understanding that experimental findings in soil science are highly dependent on soil type, land use and climate. The KLIB, therefore, goes beyond other available digital libraries by providing meta-data on the site conditions and experimental settings for each publication. A number of visualization tools have been developed to explore the contents of the literature database very efficiently in order to support and facilitate the literature search efforts of the users. The KLIB is designed as a collaborative effort to encourage soil scientists to participate by entering their own studies and extending the existing database.